DECORATED MODELS, REPLICATION, AND ASSEMBLY LINES FOR BRONZE INDUSTRIAL PRODUCTION IN 500 b.c.e. CHINA

This article examines the earliest examples of replication of bronze objects of complicated structure in China. It uses four quadrupeds from the Freer Gallery (National Museum of Asian Art, Smithsonian Institution), the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco, the British Museum, and the Yūrinkan Museum i...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Early China 2021-09, Vol.44, p.109-142
Main Authors: Wang, Quanyu, Wilson, J. Keith, Zhang, Fan Jeremy, Cheung, Jody Ho Yee, Chun, Tsz Hin, Lam, Sum, Pang, Mingyong, Xie, Haoran, Wei, Mingqiang, Lee, Kin San
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Art galleries & museums
Assembly lines
Bronze
Chinese history
Industrial production
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Summary:This article examines the earliest examples of replication of bronze objects of complicated structure in China. It uses four quadrupeds from the Freer Gallery (National Museum of Asian Art, Smithsonian Institution), the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco, the British Museum, and the Yūrinkan Museum in Kyōto as examples to illustrate the complex technology required in replicating bronzes. It provides evidence to define identical bronzes and proves that the four quadrupeds shared the same decorated model. The application of section-mold casting, spacers, clay cores, and mold section assemblage will be examined using 3D scanning, X-ray photography, computerized tomography (CT) scanning, and alloy composition analysis.
ISSN:0362-5028
2325-2324
DOI:10.1017/eac.2021.9